| Luis Merced Charged With
Murder Seeks Release Amid Coronavirus Denied
By SDNY Judge Ramos
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
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SDNY COURTHOUSE,
April 13 – U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York
Judge Edgardo Ramos on April
13 heard why Luis Merced,
charged with murder in
furtherance of crack
conspiracy, should be
released. Inner City
Press alone covered the
hearing, as it covered
Merced's initial presentment
in the SDNY Magistrates Court.
Merced's alleged crime was in
1989 in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. He
was arrested in 2019. His
lawyer on April 13 said he
suffers from obesity, a risk
factor for COVID-19. He said
this is (or was) a buy and
bust case, with law
enforcement as the only
witnesses. The state case, he
argued, was "dismissed under
30/30... after two years of
adjournments."
Assistant
US Attorney Andrew Chan said,
the defendant lured the victim
to the scene of the murder,
and took some of the proceeds
for himself. The conspiracy
stretched from NYC to
Washington DC. He faces a 20
year minimum. He was convicted
in 1992 of murder... If you
accept the logic of releasing
Merced, then hundreds of
defendants will have to be
released.
The
defense lawyer said, We have
not seen the video Mr. Chan
alludes to. At this point in
the pandemic, there's much
science doesn't know.
Judge Ramos ruled, I disagree
with the government that
nothing has changed with
COVID-19 -- the standards for
release HAVE changed. But we
cannot release all
individuals, including those
who pose risks. This is a
presumption case. Since 2014
he has been law abiding, but
he faces a significant
sentence. Despite his health
issues - and I would like the
link to the study - there are
individuals who must be kept
in jail to danger. Mr. Merced
has not rebutted the
presumption. He is to remain
in remand.
The case is US v.
Merced, 19-cr-832
(Ramos).
***
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